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My Legacy of Fire campaign is coming up on "The Jackal's Price," so lately I've been reviewing the support material for the city of Katapesh.
"The Markets of Katapesh" by Richard Pett in Pathfinder #21 describes several markets and sites of interest, including one rooftop restaurant called the Gables. Here, the article makes passing mention of "a pair of strange, four-armed slave girls" playing multiple panpipes in the background.
This intrigues me; anyone have any ideas what these two might be? Four-armed humanoid races are in short supply on Golarion (and likely to remain so), but there's still several potential explanations that come to mind. Could it be that the slave girls are...
1. Alchemists! (CR 2 or 3) In order to have taken the vestigial arm discovery twice, they'd need to be at least 3rd or 4th level. Pros: Probably the simplest explanation. They could even be Oenepion researchers from Nex, fallen on hard times. Cons: Seems an odd fit for reasonably talented alchemists to be working as cantina musicians. Least support for why they'd both have four arms.
2. Shobhads! (CR 3 or 4) They're a long, long way from home, but it's not impossible for a pair of shobhads to have turned up in Katapesh. (Likely unbeknownst to the slave girls, they're not the only Akiton ex-pats in the city.) They could have somehow been brought to Golarion through the Doorway to the Red Star; that could mean that in Katapesh the slave girls are billed as "exotic creatures from the heart of the Mwangi Expanse." Pros: The shobhads of Akiton appear to be the best-fit race we have to describe "strange, four-armed" ladies. Cons: Conversely, the phrase "strange, four-armed slave girl" doesn't exactly paint the same mental picture as "strange, 12-foot-tall, four-armed slave girl covered in ropy muscles." Could it be that these slave girls actually are girls, with the "young" simple template? What's the lifespan of a shobhad, anyway? Have these slave girls grown a foot in height since first taking the stage at the Gables?
3. Four-Armed Malenti Mutants! (CR 4) Check out Pathfinder #56 for the return of these sahuagin variants. I can certainly see "strange" being used to summarize "feral, blue-gray aquatic elf" in Katapesh. This is also the most malevolent take on the slave girls. Pros: Doesn't require much effort to explain; these slave girls truly would be rare and exotic, and could have been captured in the Shackles. Cons: Technically, "four-armed sahuagin" and "malenti" aren't templates, just variants, so it isn't a given that they could stack. This isn't necessarily a con, though, since so long as it isn't completely impossible the combination of these mutations would have to be incredibly rare--thus adding to the slave girl's exotic aura. Bigger con: When sahuagin moved from 3rd edition to Pathfinder, they lost their amphibious special quality, so technically, they can't breathe air. This might be a problem for a pair of musicians in the middle of a desert city. On the other hand, I remain convinced that the sahuagin are intended to still be amphibious, since they continue to be depicted as raiding coastal communities and fighting on land--a bit harder to do when you're holding your breath the entire time.
Anyone else have any ideas?
Clearly they are slaves from Jalmeray, where having four arms is somewhat common, at least, if their art is any indication.
This of course means these girls have been touched by the gods and have a great divine purpose. Surely rescuing them and returning them to the palace in Niswan would yeild a considerable reward.
Fleshwarped -- simply give them extra arms with it. You are close enough to the flesh pits that they could have been sold from there.
Fleshwarped -- simply give them extra arms with it. You are close enough to the flesh pits that they could have been sold from there.
Ah, products of the Fleshforges rather than students. Interesting! I find myself increasingly longing for a sourcebook on Nex.
Are there any Pathfinder RPG sources for fleshcrafting, or is "Endless Night" still the go-to reference?
I like "marked by the thousand gods of Vudra" as well. Oracles, perhaps?
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Magic has more information on Fleshwarping. Granted, it is only a page (with a template), so I don't know how much more (or less) information there is besides what you find in "Endless Night".
Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Inner Sea Magic has more information on Fleshwarping. Granted, it is only a page (with a template), so I don't know how much more (or less) information there is besides what you find in "Endless Night".
Here's the pathetic thing: I have Inner Sea Magic and completely overlooked/forgot about the page on fleshwarping.
I actually don't have "Endless Night," so all I know about its contents is what's on the Golarion wiki.
unless you have chosen an origin and have plot tied to it
Total blank slate! I'm not even thinking about them in terms of an adventure (which is why I initially posted this thread in the PF Campaign Setting general forum); I'm just musing on possibilities in general.
I do agree with your GMing tactic; there are several PC-inspired ideas incorporated into the Violet Fire side adventure I'm noodling.
Being forewarned is being fore-armed...or...half an octopus
Tossing out another option... I do recall seeing an option for an extra pair of arms on Marilith-blood Tieflings somewhere. Not sure where exactly, sadly.
New option: Kasatha!
Same potential backstory as the shobhad option, I reckon, plus we no longer need to explain away their size. And they definitely still count as "strange"... check out that cranium!
Shaved girallon is my bet.
Funny that no one has mentioned the wychweird, since it is Katapesh. Would seem strange if the pact masters allowed their own kind to be enslaved though.
I could see a warrior wishing to Jharvul for four arms. Maybe these children picked up their ancestor's traits?
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Maybe they could be the eidolons of a Broodmaster Summoner?
To give the eidolons two extra arms would cost 2 evolution points each, the skilled evolution, for Perform (wind), would cost 1 each, for a total of 6 points. Assuming they're both medium sized (the 'larger brood' evolution taken for 4 points) and the Summoner is 8th level, even without any bonus evolution points that leaves a point spare. A half-elf Summoner, taking the evolution point increase favoured class bonus and the Extra Evolution Feat could gain 3 extra evolution points, meaning he could afford to bump the Charisma of each eidolon to 13 (for a cost of 2 points each). Assuming an even as possible split, they'd have 3 hit dice each, 12 skill points each (enough for their maximum of 3 ranks in Perform (wind) and three other skills), both could take the Skill Focus - Perform (wind) Feat, and one would have an additional Feat on top of that. Perform (wind) would obviously be a selected class Skill too, for a total bonus of +18 on that Skill.
Obviously not an optimal set-up for an adventuring Summoner, but for an urbanite or retired adventurer it's possible. Maybe a 'silent partner' in the restaurant or something?
major image.